Christian Living P6 2025-10-19

Kids, What the Just King did

Kids,

Can I tell you a fairytale?

There once was a king,

famous for his justice and his great love.

One day the kings advisors told him someone was stealing from the treasury.

Stealing from the treasury was wrong, so the king decreed that when they find the culprit, they will receive 10 lashes.

But they didn’t find the culprit, and the stealing kept on happening for a long time.

The king upped the punishment from 10 lashes to 20, but the the thieving didn’t stop.

the king upped the punishment from 20 to 30 and finally to 40 lashes.

Everybody knew, 40 lashes was a death sentence.

Then one day, the thief was finally caught.

It was the princes, and everyone wonder what the just king would do.

Would he break his own rules, and pardon his daughter?

Would he stop being a just king to spare his own family?

But he didn’t.

They held the trial and she was found guilty.

They tied her to a post and tore the back of her shirt open,

so she could receive the 40 lashes,

And the loving king,

let them do this to his beloved daughter.

Then, just as the soldier was preparing to give the lashes, the king yelled STOP!

He got off his throne.

He tossed away his royal robe.

He took off his shirt

and spread his body over the princesses body

so he was between the solder and his daughter

Then he told the guard to start lashing the princess.

But the guard objected,

I can’t lash her without lashing you.

And the King said

Do IT!

So the guard whipped and whipped, and the king received the lashes

that the princess should have received.

When it was all done, the king died and his daughter went free.

Jesus Christ took the penalty for my sins, for your sins to satisfy the need for Justice,

be thankful for what Christ did so you and I can be saved.

Now, you can go to Children's church.

Hope

Todays passage in Romans 15:1-13 mentions HOPE four times

Scripture was written to give us HOPE

This HOPE is not just for Jews but also for the Gentiles

We are told that God is the God of Hope and

When we are filled with Gods joy and peace, then the Holy Spirit can make us overflow with Hope.

John Maxwell wrote in his book, Think on These Things

What Does Hope Do For Mankind?

Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.

Hope motivates when discouragement comes.

Hope energizes when the body is tired.

Hope sweetens while bitterness bites.

Hope sings when all melodies are gone.

Hope believes when evidence is eliminated.

Hope listens for answers when no one is talking.

Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.

Hope endures hardship when no on is caring.

Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing.

Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking.

Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging.

Hope dares to give when no one is sharing.

Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.

And all I can say is Amen!

May the God of Hope give us hope for all these things and more!

and again, Amen!

Paul begins chapter 15 with a little bit more about Christians strong in their faith and

Christians who are weak in their faith

And continues to put a duty on strong Christians to be careful around Christians with weak faith.

The Duty of the Strong

Here is how he begins

Romans 15:1 NIV

1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Do you think Paul is talking about more then just food and which day we worship God?

. . . . .

I have no doubt he is.

Christians have divided on many things,

that are not vitally important!

One family changes churches to get communion

more often

Another family changes churches to get communion

less often

One family changes churches to get only hymns,

only to have the next church start introducing

contemporary music also.

These preference are not bad,

as long as we don’t break unity over them.

If your brother or sister believes heavy metal music is all of the devil,

don’t play Stryper,

Demon Hunter or

Mortification

all reportedly Heavy Metal Christians bands

around your weaker brother and sisters.

Full discloser, I am not familiar with those Christians bands but Google said they are heavy metal Christian.

I’m aware of Skillet which has some metallic leanings.

Verse 2 begins

New International Version (2011) Chapter 15

2 Each of us should please our neighbors

That sounds like a large burden on STRONG Christians,

to PLEASE OUR NEIGHBORS

in Christ.

Was that his whole thought?

New International Version (2011) Chapter 15

2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good

Yes, he does put a limit on it,

“for their Good”

That is much better then being enslaved to ALWAYS PEASING your neighbors.

And Paul goes on

Romans 15:2 NIV

2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

So what else did he add

to build them up

So there are some limits

we don’t just have to slave to please the weaker brothers

but we should be considerate of their belief

of where they are coming from.

To be selfless.

And if that command,

does not seem very important to you

Paul goes on to illustrate how Jesus

was selfless, putting His desires,

under the fathers desires

Let’s read

Romans 15:3 NIV

3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

Why did insults fall on Jesus,

because he chose to do, the Fathers will

even death on the Cross for us.

with his last breath on the Cross, he said

It is finish ...

What was finished

the work He was sent to do for us.

Written for us

Paul goes on to explain that the stories in the bible are not just for those who lived through them but also for the Believers in Rome.

You and I know, that they were also written for us.

Romans 15:4 NIV

4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

The scripture were written to teach us

to give us examples of endurance

like the stories of Jesus being Obedient

ALL THE WAY TO THE CROSS

now, that is an example of endurance.

and looking at this verse

Paul is saying

When we dwell on,

when we think about

the stories of endurance in the bible,

we are encouraged to endure our own difficulties

and encouragement gives us Hope

As you know,

hope can do a lot for us

Hope can make the intolerable, tolerable.

Hope can make the unendurable, endurable

Hope can help you and me endure.

Well, Paul pauses here to pray for the church at Rome this benediction

Romans 15:5–6 NIV

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So Paul is praying for their endurance

Paul is praying for their encouragement

he even prays for their attitude to be the same as Christ

selfless attitude.

When can a group of people have

one mind and

one voice?

By having unity in Christ.

And if we as a group

chose to be selfless

taking on the mind of Christ

that will go much farther with

unity then if we look out for our own interest

If you want to see that kind of unity here,

choose to be selfless.

Amen? Amen.

Someone pointed out that

Four references to our mouths

#1 We can curse

Romans 3:14 NIV

14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

That’s how

we sometimes use our mouths:

to curse

to express our bitterness.

It’s not good to curse

It’s not attractive to spew out bitterness.

in contrast to this Paul says in Romans that our mouths

#2 Be silenced

our mouths can be silenced

Romans 3:19 NIV

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Sometimes when we are called to account for our words and actions, we try to win, by spewing out a barrage of words and excuses, but before Christ every tongue will be silenced.

So we can Curse with our mouths, in some situations like the great white throne, we just might be left speachless, what else can we do with our mouths.

#3 We Confess

We can use our mouths to Confess

Confess what?

Romans 10:9 NIV

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

You will be saved!!!

Now that is a wonderful thing,

It is life changing,

if you mean it.

#4 We Glorify

What else does Paul list that we can do with our mouths?

In the book of Roman’s that is

Romans 15:6 KJV 1900

6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So together,

when we are in unity

the strong Christians and

the weak Christians

we can ALL glorify or praise God, as though we were ONE voice, ONE mouth

And that is good, we can affirm

being selfless and

having the mind of Christ because

listen to what Paul says next

Accept

Romans 15:7 NIV

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Accept, that is a command

One another

That is what is being commanded

Just as Christ accepted you

That phrasing reminds me of the Lords Prayer

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtor

God forgave you,

God accepted you so

Go and accept your brothers and sisters in Christ.

We should do that!

Unless we don’t care what God wants, what God expects of us

I don’t know about you, but i don’t want to jepardise God’s acceptance of me,

so I guess I better accept my brothers and sisters in Christ

and so should you.

Christ Worked for the Jews and the Gentiles

As Paul goes on he tells us how Christ work was fulfillment to the Jews for the Old Testament Promise and

gives the Gentiles a chance to Glorify God too

Romans 15:8–9 NIV

8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.”

So we see that Christ

Confirmed the promises to the Patriarch

in such a way that even the Gentiles can benefit and

give Glory to God.

Paul has many other quotes from the Old Testament to support those two points:

confirmation to the Jews and

inclusion of the Gentiles

The quotes are from Psalms and Deuteronomy, & Isaiah

Romans 15:10–12 NIV

10 Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

So his point is fulfillment for the Jews and

praise from the Gentiles being included too,

is all over the Old Testament.

Then Paul closes this section with another Benediction, a prayer for the church in Rome

Romans 15:13 NIV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

We began today with some thought on the power of Hope.

We were reminded to care for our brothers and sisters

some of them may differ with us on minor issues,

But if they believe and Christ and are Trusting in Him every day,

then we are obligated to love and encourage them.

We were reminded that the message of Hope in Christ is all over the Old and New Testaments

Let’s Pray.